Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blauwerk 🌍 Origin: A beautiful, compact variety circulating among Eastern European collectors. The name “Blauwerk” suggests German origins. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is a very short, compact plant that only reaches about 20–24 inches (50–60 cm) in height. It is an early-season variety that requires almost zero pruning, making … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Betalux 🌍 Origin: A very popular ultra-early Polish commercial variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Note that there are two versions of “Betalux” circulating in the seed trade: a standard determinate, and a tree-type super-determinate (micro-dwarf). The super-determinate version is an absolute dwarf, growing very compact but producing slightly smaller fruits. It requires … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bugay Rozovyi (Bugay Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the Siberian Garden (Sib-Sad) seed company. “Bugay” is Russian slang for a large, muscular, towering man. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Reaches 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m) in height. It is an absolute workhorse variety with fantastic heat tolerance—it will continue … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bolshoy Rozovyi Vernisazh (Large Pink Vernisage) 🌍 Origin: Part of the famous “Vernisage” series created by Ukrainian breeder Ruslan Dukhov. The name translates to “Large Pink Vernisage”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-early maturity. It is a sprawling, sturdy, and highly vigorous plant. It is very forgiving—you can prune it to 2 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barmaley 🌍 Origin: Variety from the Siberian Garden (Sib-Sad) seed company. It is named after “Barmaley”, a famous pirate villain from classic Russian children’s fairy tales. 🌿 Plant Habit: A reliable mid-season variety that performs well both in greenhouses and outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful pinkish-raspberry slicers. Major … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Babushkin Potseluy (Grandma’s Kiss) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai) company, part of their Siberian Collection. The name translates to “Grandma’s Kiss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. There seems to be significant genetic variability regarding its height. It is officially listed as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banzai 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety sold commercially by companies like Gavrish, though some growers have been saving their own family strains of this tomato since the 1990s. 🌿 Plant Habit: The commercial packet lists it as a 5 ft (1.5 m) plant, but growers consistently report it behaves as a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Pestryi (Speckled Banana) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Poisk” seed company, part of their special “Vkusnoteka” (Flavor Library) line. The name translates to “Speckled Banana” or “Variegated Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and vigorous. It is a late-season producer that will keep setting fruit right up … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brothers 🌍 Origin: An open-pollinated variety known simply as “Brothers”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season maturity. It is incredibly rugged and low-maintenance, thriving even when grown outdoors in open ground. It is an extremely reliable setter. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, cocktail-sized fruits that ripen to a pinkish-red, occasionally showing very faint … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Boets (Buyan) Red 🌍 Origin: A super-reliable Siberian commercial variety. In the official registry, it is named “Boets” (Fighter), but it is widely sold by the Siberian Garden seed company under the name “Buyan” (Brawler). 🌿 Plant Habit: A compact, tree-type determinate (micro-dwarf) topping out at just 16–19 inches (42–48 cm). … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Velue Strieé 🌍 Origin: A stunning French heirloom novelty tomato. The name roughly translates to “Striped Velvet”, perfectly describing its unique appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit: A semi-determinate to indeterminate plant with the classic “angora” trait—the foliage and stems are covered in dense, soft fuzz, making it look silvery or frosted. Pro … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bull Sac 🌍 Origin: A giant red paste/oxheart variety circulating among heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall, easily reaching 6.5–7 ft (2–2.2 m). It is a mid-early variety that shows fantastic productivity both outdoors and in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive, bright red tomatoes. While some vendor … Read more